


The Quidditch match of 14/06/1974

by Warped_Alignment



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Injured Character, Quidditch, Sibling Bonding, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28227324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warped_Alignment/pseuds/Warped_Alignment
Summary: The Quidditch match on Friday the 14th of June 1974 was a match between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and contained two Blacks and one Potter.
Relationships: Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

It was Thursday. The Quidditch match was the next day, and everyone was excited. Whoever won this match would bear the title of champion for a whole year, and would have premium bragging rights for a week. Not only this, but it pretty much guaranteed the house cup, making up for any untimely pranks which had gone wrong on behalf of some students. 

James Potter was excited for the match because he loved competition, and loved the idea of wiping the smug smile off of Snivellus' proud face. Peter Pettigrew was excited because he knew James was, and James was his favourite person in the whole world, and he wanted him to be happy, and he'd been reading up on quidditch, so he was excited to see it run through. 

Remus Lupin was excited for the match because he'd been asked to be commentator. He didn't expect it, it had come out of the blue, but he was pleased nonetheless with the tiny amount of responsibility it gave him, as well as an opportunity to show everyone his support for his friends. However, he wasn't initially this happy about it...

_"Mr Lupin, can you stay behind after class, to speak to me, please?" He nodded at his professor, and nodded to his friends to leave without him, waiting patiently for the response despite his heart's thumping in his chest._

_"Professor McGonagall, what can I do for you?" he asked as politely as possible, considering his nervousness._

_"Don't worry, you're not in trouble." he nodded, but it didn't calm him in the slightest. If anything, it made him more nervous, since he knew how to cope with punishments that came with his lapses in judgement which led to him being caught, but if someone had complained about him, or found out about him, he was almost certain to be expelled, and he didn't want to leave. He'd found friends, who loved and cared for him, and now they supported him and his problem, he didn't want to leave at all. He was certain McGonagall could hear his heart almost beating out of his chest, but if she did, she ignored it, and continued with her explanation,_

_"You know about the game on Friday?"she asked, as if it wasn't all Sirius and James had been talking about for the whole week. He nodded nicely, but inwardly tutted at the stupidity of the question, "Good. Do you know what every game needs?" she asked, picking a paper up off of the stack she had to grade. He raised an eyebrow for a moment but considered the question for a moment, and only finding obvious answers, shook his head._

_"A commentator. Each Quidditch match needs someone to tell what's going on. That's why you're here." He was shocked for a moment, and his heart slowed slightly. He knew he wasn't as vocal as James or Sirius, and if they were in the match, there were certainly other louder students to announce, and ones who wouldn't freeze up at the thought of it, as he noticed he was doing now._

_He relaxed his body slightly, and bit his lip, mulling over the idea. He decided he better ask to see how well she'd thought it through, "Are you sure I'm the right choice? I'm not very loud." her lips spread into a trace of a smile as she nodded, "I've thought about that. We don't always need loud people in the game. Do you remember what happened last year, after the Ravenclaw match?" His mind wandered back to the loudmouthed commentator being too vocal, and ending up in the hospital wing for two weeks, and nodded, shaking away the memory, "Well, you are much more..refined than he was, and you'd make an excellent choice. You are an amazing pupil, you have an emotional attachment to the game, or at least, the people in it, and you are good at knowing what to say, so I think you'd be the best choice." He went to argue but she silenced him by saying, "This was not a request, Mr Lupin. You are going to announce for the match, or there will be no match." He nodded, signalling he understood, and she frowned and dismissed him._

So that had been that. Sirius had reminded him how much he'd have loved to be the commentator, and reminded Remus of how it was a way to show support for them, as well as gaining some respect of his own, as both a Gryffindor, and a marauder. He'd come to terms with it after that, and he was now quite excited. 

The only person not excited for the match was, perhaps, the person who everyone thought was the most excited for the match. Sirius Black was not looking forwards to it. His brother had joined the team this year, and he was not ready to face him. He loved Regulus, and he didn't want to work against him. Regulus made a point not to talk to Sirius in front of people, but they'd always meet each other on holidays and exchange presents, and they loved to talk still. He didn't want this to ever change, but he knew already, by the way he spoke of Sirius' friends and choices sometimes, it would come. Sirius still saw his brother, as the little boy who'd sneak into Sirius' room when he'd had a nightmare, and would only sleep if Sirius told him a story about princes just like them, who had a happy life, and never got injured by spells or beatings, and had parents who loved them. Regulus probably didn't remember those stories now (or, at least, Sirius thought he didn't) but even if he didn't, Sirius wanted to make sure he protected his brother, no matter if he hated him, so he was not looking forward to a game where he played against him. 


	2. Chapter 2

Once they had gotten ready for the game, the Gryffindor team waited in the stands with their brooms at the ready, going through the strategy one last time before they headed out. Sirius was glad he wasn't playing directly against his brother, which was James, but quickly shook that idea away as he realised that they were both like brothers to him, and his two brothers would be competing against each other, which somehow seemed to make the whole ordeal seem worse. 

Remus' voice burst out over a loudspeaker, and Sirius giggled at the ridiculousness of Remus' voice being boomed around, when it usually only barely reached above a whisper. It was so out of place, it made him laugh. James was laughing too, but not for long, as the voice was beckoning them out to the pitch to play. The team swooped out of its space, and they hovered as the other team gracefully joined them. Sirius' heart pounded in his chest at the importance of this game. 

"And we're off!" Remus' voice sounded weird and crackly, and the fog obscured the stands, so Sirius only heard a half-clear, disembodied Remus, which somehow made him hilarious. Sirius stifled his giggles as he shot towards the hoops. 

"Sirius heads for the hoops, closely followed by Malfoy, who hits the quaffle, Sirius deflects, and it misses. WELL DONE SIRIUS!" Sirius grinned towards Remus, wherever he was, and wished he got the message somehow. He deflected two more hits, all whilst avoiding the bludgers, when one hit him square in the jaw. Their beater smirked maliciously at him as the ball flew through the goal. He heard Remus protesting the contact, but knew nothing would come of it, focussing on the game. 

The game continued steadily, although everyone knew it didn't get exciting until the snitch was spotted, and that it wasn't very likely to happen very soon, especially considering the fog blowing in and making it increasingly hard to see, and the rain which continued in patchy spots.

When the game stood at 10-3 to Gryffindor, Remus' voice became much louder,

"The two seekers have spotted something!"  
  
Sure enough, Reg and James were shooting around, neck and neck, flying in circles. They went down for a moment, and then both shot high into the sky. They went higher and higher until no-one could see them anymore, and the game froze, everyone waiting tensely for their return. The Slytherins used this as an opportunity to try to score goals, so Sirius was rushing from side to side swiftly, attempting to ensure their success, although they all knew this would make no difference if one of them had the snitch, and another 10 points wouldn't make much of a difference.

The quaffle was being hit in an erratic pattern, and Sirius had just got the hang of it when Remus told them someone was coming. Sirius looked into the sky and saw the figure, but he seemed to notice what the others didn’t: the figure had no broom.

Sirius only had two options, and they were: to risk yourself and your broom by catching the person, or to stay and hope someone else did, and stay at the goalpost. The figure seemed to be falling faster, and Sirius knew it was either James or Reg, and he loved both of them, but knew if he left the goalpost, he’d lose points.

They reached a point parallel to him, and he swept forward, which forced them into his chest, causing pain to shoot through it. His broom started to plummet, and he pulled the person tightly into his chest as they fell. He slowed the broom down as it fell, until he could maneuvre it flat, and glided down until they reached the ground, only slightly tumbling and grazing his knees against the grass.

”Sirius and...Regulus? Are on the floor” a few moments after he announced this, he quickly added, “the game is being paused for a moment to see if they’re ok!” The pain in Sirius’ chest was growing, and his breathing was getting worse. Madame Pomfrey came over, and Sirius caught sight of a worrying patch of blood on his brother’s head. She patched up the wound, and placed him into a stretcher to be carried away, and looked Sirius up and down before hurrying after them.

Sirius decided he must be fine, getting off his broom, grabbing it up and walking towards the changing rooms. Lily Evans hurried after him, telling him about how awesome it was, and he tried to listen, when his chest became too tight and he felt like something was wrong. His eyes widened, and he was choking. He coughed, feeling something coming up, and hearing Lily’s call for help, but spots obscured his vision before he could tell her it was ok, and the world went dark. 


	3. Chapter 3

Lily was watching the game from the stands, her face covered with the Gryffindor colours, and her heart racing alongside the crowd's enthusiastic cheers and boos at each win or loss. She was one of the loudest, screaming with joy at each successfully missed goal that Sirius deflected, and loudly arguing when the beater tried to hit him off his broom. The fog was getting thicker and the rain was pelting down, but her enthusiasm didn't quaver for a second. 

When James and the other boy went after the snitch, she was peering through her binoculars closer than she'd ever looked before, leaning over the stands so far that Marlene was gripping the back of her jumper to make sure she didn't plummet to the ground. She saw a figure approaching, but couldn't even make out the house colours, let alone if he had the snitch.

But something was wrong, it had to be, because Sirius looked up, and she saw the colour drain from his face. She knew it before he darted out of his position, but even though she knew he saw something she didn't, she didn't expect the seeker to land onto his broom, for him to wrap his arms around the boy as they fell to the ground below. 

She heard that the professors had paused the game, and alarm bells rang in her head. Sirius was one of her friends, and granted, he wasn't one of her best friends, but he was a loyal and kind boy, and she knew he might need someone right about now, so she struggled out of the crowds of people, and made her way to where they were. She watched from a safe distance as the boy, who, when not obscured by mist, seemed to look a lot like Sirius. A brother? A cousin? Sirius' eyes were fixed on the stretcher Madame Pomfrey had placed him on, and seemed close to tears. Her heart ached for him, and she decided they must be brothers. No-one gets that upset about a cousin, especially not one in Slytherin, when Sirius was so adverse to most of his family. 

Once the teachers had left, Sirius looked rather deflated, and very pale, as if someone had drained his usual excessive energy, and left him, cold and alone. He slid off his broom almost mechanically, picking it up gently and walking away. Lily rushed after him, knowing she'd need reassurance if she was in his position, since she loved her sister too, and no matter how much she called her names, it didn't take away the fact that she was her sister. She could be jealous and vile sometimes, but it never stopped Lily from loving her, so she knew how upsetting it could be for Sirius to see his brother like that.

"Sirius! Hey, wait up!" she said, trying to keep up with his strides towards the changing rooms, "I think that was really awesome, how you stepped up like that." 

He stopped suddenly, and she hurried to reach him. She stood beside him, and heard his breathing, which was gurgling worryingly. She looked at him, her expression riddled with concern, and asked, "Hey, are you ok?" He started to cough, and it came out harsh and wet. He doubled over, his coughing increasing as he spat a liquid up, and she could see the unmistakable redness of it, and instantly knew the answer to her question. She called for Madame Pomfrey, and was, for once, pleased to see James coming, who quickly surveyed the scene, and hurried after her.

She watched him leave, sighing audibly in relief, when she heard a loud thump from Sirius' vicinity. Her head shot around to reveal Sirius, unconscious on the ground, breathing unsteadily, and with a hint of blood on his chin. She took her jumper off, propping his head up with it to make sure he could breathe, and waited for James to return. 

After what felt like a decade, James was back, Madame Pomfrey and McGonagall in tow. James nodded knowingly to Lily, and she nodded back, attempting a smile to him, and extending her hand to him. He took it, and squeezed it tight, and they both watched with bated breaths as their teachers set about trying to help their friend. She listened with a stethoscope to his chest, and seemed to be disheartened by the result, and Lily felt her grip upon James tighten as she whispered something to McGonagall, who jumped to her feet, guiding James and Lily away. 

-

Lily and James had returned to the castle, waiting outside the infirmary until they were allowed back in, not having stopped holding hands since they left the quidditch pitch. The crowd they were holding grew to four, as Remus and Peter had joined, and the four of them sat in complete silence (something which was practically unheard of joined with these three), barely moving nor breathing unless absolutely necessary. 

After a while, Madame Pomfrey returned, and they were allowed back in. She told them that Regulus (Sirius' brother) must have landed onto Sirius' chest, and cracked a rib, forcing it into one of his lung, which caused the worrying symptoms, and that he was recovering but stable, and should wake up soon. She let the four of them in, smiling at Remus' chocolates, as she knew he never shared, from spending too much time with him in the infirmary.

-

Sirius gave a lopsided grin when he saw his friends enter the room, which grew even wider when he noticed Remus had brought chocolates, "Oh m'ny, you sh'ldn't've. I've alr'dy got the good stuff here." he pointed to an IV attached to a drip in it, explaining his slurred words and glassy eyes. His smile faded from his face, and his eyelids dropped. He caught himself, and straightened himself in his bed, 

"Hey, c'mon guys, y've got to speak t'me, y're boring me half to sleep." he chuckled at the end, which seemed to pain him, and he groaned, taking a deep breath and clutching his chest. He seemed to want them to ignore it, and they all shot him concerned looks, but started to tell him the gossip which came from his heroics, which varied from him being a selfless hero, to just being nosy and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, although not even the worst Slytherins could deny the way he protected his brother when they shot down from the sky. He remarked on a few the stories, and seemed overall quite pleased with how they portrayed him, telling them not to comment if asked, so there'd be more interesting stories the next day, or better yet, tell everyone a different story to make more complex gossip. James laughed at the idea, and Sirius made him promise to do it, and, seemingly satisfied with the answer, he leant back onto his pillow, instantly falling to sleep. 

\- 

Regulus woke up, his head throbbing but feeling relatively fine. He looked across his body and found no evidence of landing. The bludger had hit his head pretty hard, but he fell off his broom from over forty feet, he should be dead, not sitting in a hospital bed with a throbbing head.

He looked around, and was surprised to see his brother asleep in the bed next to him. _Maybe he knew what happened?_ Regulus had no idea, and Sirius was a good bet, he was part of the game, so he should be able to tell him what was going on.

Regulus shook Sirius slightly, whispering his name like he used to when he had nightmares and wanted someone to be awake. Sirius’ eyes fluttered opened, and he smiled to see his brother.

”Hey Reggie, how you feeling?” Regulus’ smile copied Sirius’, and he rubbed his tender head, 

“I’m doing good. What happened?”

”You fell. No-one except me saw you, and I grabbed you. You gave me a good scare, too. You sure you’re ok?” Regulus nodded, and sat down on the bed next to his brother. The movement made Sirius’ chest ache and he winced slightly.

”Are you ok?” He asked and he nodded, giving Reg a slight chuckle.

”I just hurt myself on the way down, is all.” He refused to tell his brother he did this to him.

Regulus hated Sirius getting in trouble for him, and owing him his life more times than he could count, and whether it was taking the cruciatus curse or sweeping him out of the sky, he knew Sirius would always try to be there for him, and he smiled, 

“I love you Sirius.”

Regulus crawled under the wires, leaning into his brother’s side carefully, and resting his head on his shoulder. Their warm bodies leaned against each other, the two drifted off to sleep peacefully, forgetting about the coming war, their abusive parents, and their friends, who would eventually burst through the doors, and scowl at Regulus to leave.

For now, they were just two brothers who loved each other.

But nothing lasts forever, which is what they were both to find out very soon. 


End file.
